A TEENAGER who sexually assaulted a girl, aged under 10 from Great Harwood while on bail after raping another child victim, has been jailed indefinitely for the public’s protection.

Simon Heaton, 17, was branded a ‘sick monster’ by the mother of one of his young victims.

The youth pleaded guilty in October to rape, five counts of sexual assault and causing grievous bodily harm to the two young girls.

The decision to publicly name Heaton, who is still a child under UK law, was made by Judge David Harris QC, who ruled it was a matter of important public interest.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how Heaton, from St Helens, targeted the young girls subjecting them to a ‘chilling’ ordeal. Judge Harris ordered him to serve a minimum of five years behind bars and told him: "To read and hear of the violence which you perpetrated on those little girls for your own sexual gratification is truly chilling."

Debbie Gould, prosecuting, said the youth first struck in parkland in Merseyside last year, when he was aged 16. After being subjected to a prolonged sexual attack, during which his victim, aged under 10, was raped, she managed to free herself from his grip and ran home.

After initially being remanded in custody Heaton was granted bail at Liverpool Crown Court with a condition that he reside outside Merseyside.

He went to live in Blackburn near where the second offence took place, Miss Gould said.

The defendant targeted the girl in an area of woodland.

Miss Gould said: "The defendant was targeting this group of children. It is clear that he had formed an intention to isolate and sexually assault one of those children."

She said he lured his young victim to a secluded spot where another prolonged attack took place.

After a violent 45-minute ordeal, in which the girl was badly hurt, she managed to flee to a nearby road, crying, ‘Help me, help me’.

Miss Gould said: "The witness said she had never seen a child so distraught and in such a state as that little girl was that evening.

"The witness asked her what had happened and the girl replied, ‘He attacked me, pushed me, punched me and he raped me’."

Heaton was caught nearby by two men who followed his trail from the scene of the attack.

A harrowing 999 call was played to the court, in which the distressed child could be heard crying uncontrollably and shouting: "He’s outside, he’s outside."

The child’s mother told the court: "The sick monster who is in court today took my little girl’s childhood away from her. Prior to that day, I had a vivacious, confident little girl.

"Ever since the attack my daughter has never fully disclosed what has happened to her, it’s like a mental block.

"But what she can tell me about is how this monster threatened to kill her, by attempting to snap her neck.

"I prepared my child with tools to deal with the world to ensure she was safe - that’s a mother’s instinct. But what tools do you give a child to deal with real monsters?"

Detective Inspector Steve Dowson, who led the Great Harwood investigation said, "These were absolutely despicable attacks on innocent young girls who were out playing with friends.

"The girl from Great Harwood and her family have shown remarkable resilience after this horrific attack and hopefully following this sentence it can bring some closure to them and they can move on with their lives."